New Mexico Drought Status

Drought conditions have improved slightly from one month ago, particularly in southeast and northeast New Mexico, where precipitation generally has been above average. Extreme drought is no longer present in the northeast corner, although severe conditions still remain. In the southeast, exceptional drought covers less than half the area it did 30 days ago, largely because winter storms delivered more than 150 percent of average in the last month. Drought, however, continues to blanket the majority of the state (Figure 5a). As of January 17, about 91 percent of the state was still classified with abnormally dry conditions or a more severe drought category (Figure 5b).

While the eastern half of the state has been generally wetter than average, the western half has been drier than average. In these regions, rain and snow have measured less than 75 percent of average. This weather is likely influenced by the ongoing weak to moderate La Niña event, which often helps divert storms from the west farther north. With the expectation that the La Niña will continue into spring, drier-than-average conditions are still favored in most of New Mexico for the next few months.